Electronics in new analogs!

[Paul Perry]

At 11:43 AM 18/09/97 +0200, the normally sensible Erik Schuijers wrote:

>I just visited some sites (Doepfer, Syntecno etc...) and wondered why the
>machines they sell are so expensive? I mean, the electronics are about the
>same as they were 20 years ago. Most of the components are very cheap.

....well damned if I know why I just paid $3.50 for those fish and chips...
coulda walked 5K to the bay & caught a fish & if i'd planted some potatoes
last year....those fish&chips really cost nothing! what a ripoff!

fact is, anybody who has the ability to design and/or construct a synth would
be better off financially by working those hours and BUYING gear, even at 
today's prices....

and as many have said here before, if you look at original prices compared to 
average wages then, they aren't that far out of line...

the only reason to make your own synth is the same as the reason to make your
own car, or grow your own vegetables: because you like doing it, or because 
you simply cant buy the car or vegetables you want.

As a sidelight to this crazy world of synth DIY, it amazes me when people say
it's a waste of money to build your own....because these people will pay $10
to see a crap movie (2 hours "fun") while i can get $50 worth of parts and
have possibly an infinite period of "fun", considering whether I ever get it
finished. (Jim Williams, the analog design guru, once said he would pay more
for a defective Tektronix scope because he had so much fun fixing them!)

still, if Erik wants to manufacture and sell say Buchla or Serge knockoffs
at one third original cost, hey, put me down for some! I'd even be prepared
to get a job to pay for them (maybe)!

paul perry melbourne australia